What's in my Phal?

[andrew__]

Yup, another from me. This time I'm just looking for an ID out of curiosity 'cause I already know it's a Phal and can keep them pretty happy already.

My plant (click image for larger on flickr):



Seemed odd to me at first because in most typical Phals the three sepals are almost completely hidden behind the two larger petals where on mine the petals and sepals are basically the same size and arranged evenly on the flower. Additionally on most Phals on the lip there are two antennae-like growths pointing back to the center of the flower, which are not present on mine. The flower is also about half the size on a plant with similar sized leaves as a typical Phal.

The closest I've found to my plant is Phal 'Dragon's Gold' which is a cross of Taipei Gold x amboinensis. Obvious differences are that mine is much more green on the newly opened flowers and slightly more colour in the lip.

I guess my question is what species have been crossed to make mine and (if possible) what is my Phal's name?

I'm going to try and get the email of the supplier of the store I got it at to see if I can find out that way but may not be doable so just checking if anyone here's got any leads.

[Blueszz]

I have no clue, but wanted to let you know that I realy like that green in the newer blooms!

[Brooke]

It sounds like most of your phals are coming down from amabilis or aphrodite because of the way you describe the lip.

I don't know what this phal is and no one can positively ID it but it does come down from venosa. The white surrounding the column is a dead giveaway.

Hopefully the supplier can identify it for you because it is a beauty.

Brooke

[Ed b]

As far as the lip check out Ming Hsing Yellow Boy it has the same lip and color.
Ed b

[gixrj18]

It looks a lot like my Phal. Brother Little Yellow Boy, but I can't find any pics of it. Hard to say for sure.

[andrew__]

Originally Posted by brooke

It sounds like most of your phals are coming down from amabilis or aphrodite because of the way you describe the lip.

I don't know what this phal is and no one can positively ID it but it does come down from venosa. The white surrounding the column is a dead giveaway.

Hopefully the supplier can identify it for you because it is a beauty.

Brooke

Thanks for the tips

Ed b: Looks like Ming Hsing Yellow Boy has more spots on the flowers compared to mine otherwise very close (closest I've seen, even seems to have similar green tinge to the flowers)

gixrj18: Phal. Brother Little Yellow Boy seems to have more of that red colour in the lip/that whole area (assuming the pictures I found are of the right plant )

Another close (but not quite) plant I've found is Brother Lawrence Waxy Yellow (again too much red spots on the flower). I think this is going to be impossible without checking with the grower, thanks anyway (and I'll post here if I can find out)

[gixrj18]

There is such a wide variance between siblings that it could be any of these. These small details that you speak of could be in one plant, and it's sibling could look completely different. So these kind of details aren't really deal "makers" or "breakers", if you know what I mean.

[violacea]

gixrj18 (Jasen?) is right.

When a man and a woman marry, their kids might look so unalike that they cannot be recognised as brothers and sisters.

The same in the orchid world. The next generation from a cross being made could have so many variations that you cannot tell the parentage.

I once registered an orchid with my sister's name. The phalaenopsis was a round type flushed with bishop's violet. Then someone found a specimen with the same parentage -- and it was pure white! I was stunned as it was so unexpected.

A repeat crossing of two species will bear the same name as the original crossing. But now, the new parents carry different genetic material from those original parents.

Once the label is gone, Andrew, there is no hope of ever correctly identifying your orchid again. And it would be useless as a stud. So we all must be very careful not to lose the labels and buy from reputable suppliers if this aspect is important to you.

Maybe this is not so important nowadays when the orchidists and hobbyists have given way to commercial growers who just want to make money, and they don't care for correct nomenclature -- the heck with what the hobby purists think!

[andrew__]

Very true. I'll see if the grower can shed any light on it but that's my only option (assuming they've only got one yellow Phal anyway )

[violacea]

It's more complicated than you think, Andrew. A Phal can be crossed with itself. Pollen from one flower going into its own stigma or onto another flower in the same stalk. Or it might have seedlings from the pod that develops, and then the flowers from the seedlings are then self-crossed or even backp-crossed with its parent plant. And all of them carry the same name. Even if many of them look different from the rest.

Big lip, large sepals, non-overlap, too green, too yellow, flushed with pink (!) and what-have-you. And all of them have the same name! And if you bring one of them to the grower because you lost the original label, and ask, "Uh, what is the name of this orchid plant?" there can be no answer. Not by looking at it.

Find out its genome, and you will match it against lots of other orchids and you just might find out its name.